October 29, 2024 • 10 mins
Col. Gary Howze. Florida Highway Patrol, offered some thoughts on Amendment 3. It makes sense because the Troopers on our roadways wil be dealing with the consequences if this passes ... and so will you.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Some subjects will just make you furious. Don't worry.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We're here to make it all better.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
There you go, Yes, it's okay.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yes, this is the Morning Show with Preston Scott.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Thirty five past the hour. It is good to be
with you this morning, Monday, October twenty eighth. We're about
to polish off the month of October and boldly move
to election day. And there are a lot of things
besides candidates on this ballot that will have remarkable impact
on your life, and one of the most notably is
(00:43):
Amendment three. Join me on the program is Colonel Gary
Howes with Florida Highway Patrol. Colonel, how in the world
are you?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Hey, Preston, good morning. I'm excited to talk to you.
And by the way, thank you so much for infeasas
some positivity and common sense in the mornings. It's appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Try. But I got to tell you now. You called
in early, and it's a little awkward for me to
say to the kernel of FHP, tap the brakes, sir,
tap the brakes slow.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
We're checking to see.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
In all seriousness, Amendment three. I have explained what I
think are the fears of it. Give me the before.
What you're dealing with now on the highways, when FHP
responds to fatalities on the roads and so forth, What
are the numbers involving marijuana in drivers.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Well, let me tell you we you know, unfortunately, I
have to report we kill about nine people a day
on Florida roadways and a third of that is due
to impair driving. What we're seeing through recent years is
an increase, and we call poly impairments. I know you've
talked about it on your show before, where somebody will
have multiple influencers in their system. And I'll tell you
(01:58):
the thing about marijuana is it is a It's a
magnifier drug. The neurotoxins in marijuana will respond to other
things in your system and really accelerate those impairments. And
at the end of the day, marijuana it does everything
that we don't want to do driving. It slows your
reaction time, It reduces your hand eye coordination, your depth perception,
(02:23):
just your basic cognitive cognitive skills that you need to
drive a vehicle safely is impacted by the use of
marijuana a lot like alcohol, but again with marijuana, it's
a magnifier of whatever else you could be using or
just by itself. And you know, I know you've heard
it talk. I heard it said before that you know,
(02:44):
the marijuana of today is not the same of the
eighties and nineties and seventies. It's it's a lot more toxic,
a lot more potent, a lot higher THHC levels, a
lot to talk about edibles. The edibles have very high
THHD content. And it's just scary what's on what's what's
on our roads? You know, I'll say for years people ask,
(03:06):
you know, what's the harm of somebody smoking marijuana in
the privacy, privacy of their own home, And you know,
really there's there could be a lot of harm with
it actually, and because it's beyond that there, you know,
there could be a lot more that's going on our roadways.
And then dat is in from other states. It's not
(03:26):
an uneducated choice, right, that is in from the other states.
And what they're seeing in states like Colorado, really there's
like twenty something states now they have recreational use marijuana,
and what they're seeing is higher emergency room visits due
to impairments of marijuana. They're seeing fatality rates and crash
rates accelerating, getting getting much higher. They're seeing just the
(03:49):
emergency room visits in general for overdoses related to marijuana. Again,
because you have your poly impairments increasing, your poison hotline
calls are up on the on the flip side of that,
outside of driving, even your property and your person's crimes
are up in those areas. And one thing that's different
in Florida than a lot of those other states is
(04:09):
their statutory You know, they went through their legislature and
the people, but people's representatives voted where in Florida, you know,
a constitutional member, this is going to be a constitutional right,
and law enforcement is not going to be able to
respond and assist you like you're used to, like if
somebody is violent violating a law. You know, this will
be someone's right if this passes. It's a right for
(04:29):
someone to be smoking marijuana in public. And and I'll
tell you not only dangers in our road aways, but
the impacts of secondhand smoke on our kids, and and
and being subject to the stench of you and your
family trying to enjoy something in a public venue. You know,
law enforcements is not going to be intervened because someone's
(04:50):
smoking marijuana.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
You're a guy, do what you're talking about? It's the
Morning Show with Preston Scott, Colonel Mary, How's with FHP,
Colonel I can't even imagine the nightmare that will be
faced by troopers across the state dealing with this if
it passes. Have have you even begun to consider what
(05:14):
that looks like the enforcement of just something as simple
as the driving that we're going to see increase where
people are using it.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yes, we're you know, your Highway Patrol is your very
forward thinking and we do look down the road. But
there's definitely some impacts beyond just the immediate driving. But
you know, as you said, just preparing for that. You
know right now, Florida's DUI laws are very alcohol driven.
You know, for the most part, you have your your
point eight is your prima facia for someone being impaired
(05:46):
where their normal faculties are impaired while they're driving. Where
with marijuana, those standards are not said, and they're fairly
controversial from state to state that has a recreational marijuana use,
whether it be you know, three or five nanagrams in
your blood. But but at any rate, and you know,
Florida is a very alcohol b A c driven UH
(06:06):
statute as far as d U I, which was which
is going to cause your law enforcement to very much
have to depend on roadside sobriety exercises to establish a
baseline from somebody in a short period of time and
then and then judge that impairment, and and and and
are be able to articulate that. It's going to be
(06:27):
very difficult to afforce, right you know, right now, you know,
we have people out on the roads, they have marijuana,
do the medical marijuana the people of medical marijuana cards,
and and that's you know, we've we've navigated that pretty well.
But if Amendment three passes, this is a whole different ballgame.
It's going to accelerate, uh, the the use is going
(06:48):
to accelerate, the just the availability to just everyday folks.
And it's going to be it's going to be a
challenge for law enforcement statewide, UH to to you know,
to be able to articulate in a court of law
someone's impairment. We have tools, you know, for us, you know,
(07:08):
like I said, you know we have in car videos
and you know, at the end of the day, you
really have to establish an ampairment why someone's normal faculties
are impaired, which is kind of the foundation of all
our dui laws. But it's not going to be because
they go in and take a breathalyzer to us how
traditionally it's done.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Now well and not just you know, I mean, you're
you're also going to be increasing the addiction. And I've
talked at nauseum about it. It is a gateway drug.
It will lead to more addiction. It's going to then
impact our prison system. We talked to Correction Secretary Ricky
Dixon last week about it, the consequences of the passage,
(07:47):
and speak to this colonel if you can. There are
some that say, well, legalizing it rids us of the
black market. Everything I've read in every other state says
it enhances the black market.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So you're one hundred percent correct. That is a definitely
a myth, or I like to I'll just call it
a lie, but it's but it's a myth. You know.
What happens is we're going to a tax that first
of all, we're talking just a you know, a handful
of megaweed companies that's controlling this amendment to get it
on the ballot number one. So it's really a constitutionally
(08:23):
sanctioned marijuana cartel in Florida is really what the Amendment's about.
And so when, yeah, absolutely when you know when, when
when when someone is driving and they have when they
have marijuana in their system. Like I said before, it's
(08:45):
a it is a just accepted fact. You're going to
have cognitive skills delayed. You're going to be your hand
eye coord nation is going to suffer, your depth procession
is going to suffer. It's not going to be a
good scenario for you to be operating on the road.
And as you're doing that, to your point, this is
a gateway drug. Every piece of data that we see
(09:08):
from across the country, especially these states that have gone
this direction down this roadway and regretted one hundred percent
of them, regretted every single one of them, will tell
you drug addiction on all types of drugs beyond marijuana
has gone up as a result of the marijuana being available.
Definitely a gateway drug.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Colonel, my thanks to you and all the men and
women serving our state. It's a dangerous job and I
appreciate what you all do. Thank you so much, and
we're here for you anytime.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Greston, thank you for what you do. God bless you.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Thank you. Sir. Colonel Gary Howes, Florida Highway Patrol with
me this morning and again, see here's what happens. Because
this is a monopoly that's being established in the state constitution.
The black market operators out there think you think you
can grow at home. Oh no, no, no, no. So the
black market operators are going to grow their own weed.
(10:02):
It will not be regulated in any way, shape or form,
and they will then undercut the price that you're buying
at wherever the black market's going to thrive. Trust me.
If you don't believe me, then believe what's happening in
all the other states. Forty seven past the hour
Some subjects will just make you furious. Don't worry.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We're here to make it all better.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
There you go, Yes, it's okay.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yes, this is the Morning Show with Preston Scott.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Thirty five past the hour. It is good to be
with you this morning, Monday, October twenty eighth. We're about
to polish off the month of October and boldly move
to election day. And there are a lot of things
besides candidates on this ballot that will have remarkable impact
on your life, and one of the most notably is
(00:43):
Amendment three. Join me on the program is Colonel Gary
Howes with Florida Highway Patrol. Colonel, how in the world
are you?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Hey, Preston, good morning. I'm excited to talk to you.
And by the way, thank you so much for infeasas
some positivity and common sense in the mornings. It's appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Try. But I got to tell you now. You called
in early, and it's a little awkward for me to
say to the kernel of FHP, tap the brakes, sir,
tap the brakes slow.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
We're checking to see.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
In all seriousness, Amendment three. I have explained what I
think are the fears of it. Give me the before.
What you're dealing with now on the highways, when FHP
responds to fatalities on the roads and so forth, What
are the numbers involving marijuana in drivers.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Well, let me tell you we you know, unfortunately, I
have to report we kill about nine people a day
on Florida roadways and a third of that is due
to impair driving. What we're seeing through recent years is
an increase, and we call poly impairments. I know you've
talked about it on your show before, where somebody will
have multiple influencers in their system. And I'll tell you
(01:58):
the thing about marijuana is it is a It's a
magnifier drug. The neurotoxins in marijuana will respond to other
things in your system and really accelerate those impairments. And
at the end of the day, marijuana it does everything
that we don't want to do driving. It slows your
reaction time, It reduces your hand eye coordination, your depth perception,
(02:23):
just your basic cognitive cognitive skills that you need to
drive a vehicle safely is impacted by the use of
marijuana a lot like alcohol, but again with marijuana, it's
a magnifier of whatever else you could be using or
just by itself. And you know, I know you've heard
it talk. I heard it said before that you know,
(02:44):
the marijuana of today is not the same of the
eighties and nineties and seventies. It's it's a lot more toxic,
a lot more potent, a lot higher THHC levels, a
lot to talk about edibles. The edibles have very high
THHD content. And it's just scary what's on what's what's
on our roads? You know, I'll say for years people ask,
(03:06):
you know, what's the harm of somebody smoking marijuana in
the privacy, privacy of their own home, And you know,
really there's there could be a lot of harm with
it actually, and because it's beyond that there, you know,
there could be a lot more that's going on our roadways.
And then dat is in from other states. It's not
(03:26):
an uneducated choice, right, that is in from the other states.
And what they're seeing in states like Colorado, really there's
like twenty something states now they have recreational use marijuana,
and what they're seeing is higher emergency room visits due
to impairments of marijuana. They're seeing fatality rates and crash
rates accelerating, getting getting much higher. They're seeing just the
(03:49):
emergency room visits in general for overdoses related to marijuana. Again,
because you have your poly impairments increasing, your poison hotline
calls are up on the on the flip side of that,
outside of driving, even your property and your person's crimes
are up in those areas. And one thing that's different
in Florida than a lot of those other states is
(04:09):
their statutory You know, they went through their legislature and
the people, but people's representatives voted where in Florida, you know,
a constitutional member, this is going to be a constitutional right,
and law enforcement is not going to be able to
respond and assist you like you're used to, like if
somebody is violent violating a law. You know, this will
be someone's right if this passes. It's a right for
(04:29):
someone to be smoking marijuana in public. And and I'll
tell you not only dangers in our road aways, but
the impacts of secondhand smoke on our kids, and and
and being subject to the stench of you and your
family trying to enjoy something in a public venue. You know,
law enforcements is not going to be intervened because someone's
(04:50):
smoking marijuana.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
You're a guy, do what you're talking about? It's the
Morning Show with Preston Scott, Colonel Mary, How's with FHP,
Colonel I can't even imagine the nightmare that will be
faced by troopers across the state dealing with this if
it passes. Have have you even begun to consider what
(05:14):
that looks like the enforcement of just something as simple
as the driving that we're going to see increase where
people are using it.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yes, we're you know, your Highway Patrol is your very
forward thinking and we do look down the road. But
there's definitely some impacts beyond just the immediate driving. But
you know, as you said, just preparing for that. You
know right now, Florida's DUI laws are very alcohol driven.
You know, for the most part, you have your your
point eight is your prima facia for someone being impaired
(05:46):
where their normal faculties are impaired while they're driving. Where
with marijuana, those standards are not said, and they're fairly
controversial from state to state that has a recreational marijuana use,
whether it be you know, three or five nanagrams in
your blood. But but at any rate, and you know,
Florida is a very alcohol b A c driven UH
(06:06):
statute as far as d U I, which was which
is going to cause your law enforcement to very much
have to depend on roadside sobriety exercises to establish a
baseline from somebody in a short period of time and
then and then judge that impairment, and and and and
are be able to articulate that. It's going to be
(06:27):
very difficult to afforce, right you know, right now, you know,
we have people out on the roads, they have marijuana,
do the medical marijuana the people of medical marijuana cards,
and and that's you know, we've we've navigated that pretty well.
But if Amendment three passes, this is a whole different ballgame.
It's going to accelerate, uh, the the use is going
(06:48):
to accelerate, the just the availability to just everyday folks.
And it's going to be it's going to be a
challenge for law enforcement statewide, UH to to you know,
to be able to articulate in a court of law
someone's impairment. We have tools, you know, for us, you know,
(07:08):
like I said, you know we have in car videos
and you know, at the end of the day, you
really have to establish an ampairment why someone's normal faculties
are impaired, which is kind of the foundation of all
our dui laws. But it's not going to be because
they go in and take a breathalyzer to us how
traditionally it's done.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Now well and not just you know, I mean, you're
you're also going to be increasing the addiction. And I've
talked at nauseum about it. It is a gateway drug.
It will lead to more addiction. It's going to then
impact our prison system. We talked to Correction Secretary Ricky
Dixon last week about it, the consequences of the passage,
(07:47):
and speak to this colonel if you can. There are
some that say, well, legalizing it rids us of the
black market. Everything I've read in every other state says
it enhances the black market.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So you're one hundred percent correct. That is a definitely
a myth, or I like to I'll just call it
a lie, but it's but it's a myth. You know.
What happens is we're going to a tax that first
of all, we're talking just a you know, a handful
of megaweed companies that's controlling this amendment to get it
on the ballot number one. So it's really a constitutionally
(08:23):
sanctioned marijuana cartel in Florida is really what the Amendment's about.
And so when, yeah, absolutely when you know when, when
when when someone is driving and they have when they
have marijuana in their system. Like I said before, it's
(08:45):
a it is a just accepted fact. You're going to
have cognitive skills delayed. You're going to be your hand
eye coord nation is going to suffer, your depth procession
is going to suffer. It's not going to be a
good scenario for you to be operating on the road.
And as you're doing that, to your point, this is
a gateway drug. Every piece of data that we see
(09:08):
from across the country, especially these states that have gone
this direction down this roadway and regretted one hundred percent
of them, regretted every single one of them, will tell
you drug addiction on all types of drugs beyond marijuana
has gone up as a result of the marijuana being available.
Definitely a gateway drug.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Colonel, my thanks to you and all the men and
women serving our state. It's a dangerous job and I
appreciate what you all do. Thank you so much, and
we're here for you anytime.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Greston, thank you for what you do. God bless you.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Thank you. Sir. Colonel Gary Howes, Florida Highway Patrol with
me this morning and again, see here's what happens. Because
this is a monopoly that's being established in the state constitution.
The black market operators out there think you think you
can grow at home. Oh no, no, no, no. So the
black market operators are going to grow their own weed.
(10:02):
It will not be regulated in any way, shape or form,
and they will then undercut the price that you're buying
at wherever the black market's going to thrive. Trust me.
If you don't believe me, then believe what's happening in
all the other states. Forty seven past the hour
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